Machines for producing bows and pompons from ribbons



Dec. 25, 1956 H. M. coo

Filed Oct. 4, 1954 MACHINES FOR PRODUCING BOWS AND POMPONS FROM RIBBON-S 2 Sheets-Sheet l BY fz/s af/omeys INVENTOR. Ham/d M Coo/r H. M. COOK Dec. 25, 1956 MACHINES FOR PRODUCING BOWS AND POMPONS FROM mesons Filed Oct. 4, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Ham/0 M. Coo/r BY MS affomeys nited States PatentO MACHINES FOR PRODUCING BOWS AND POMPONS FROM RIBBONS Harold M. Cook, Dallas, Tex., assignor to Burlington This invention relates to improvements in a machine for forming bows and pompons and more particularly to an improved reel and novel supporting and braking means for the same. a

The invention is an improvement upon the invention of my priorPatent 2,528,820, issued November 7, 1950.

In machines of the type above mentioned, there is a tendency for the reel to overrun particularly when the reel is full of ribbon because at that time, the reel has considerable weight and as it rotates it has considerable momentum. If the reel gets rotating too fast, the momentum can cause it to overrun with a concomitant tendency of the ribbon to bunch up or bow out between the reel duction in diameter of the reeled ribbon as the ribbon unwinds from the reel, thus to maintain constant ribbon tension for creation of pompons or bows withuniform petals or loops from the full to the expiring'reel.

Another object is to provide a reel superior to a standard reel in its tendency to maintain the ribbon wound on the reel, particularly when the reel is fully wound with ribbon, without interfering with the use of the reel on the bow-forming machine above mentioned.

Other objects and advantages of; the invention will become apparent as it is described in connection with the accompanying drawings. I

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a machine to which the invention has been applied. a

Fig. 2 is a side view partly in section along. line 2--2 of Fig. 3 of the reel and braking means of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of thereel.

For the purpose of illustration the invention is shown in the drawings as applied to a machine which may be enclosed in a housing of generally rectangular or other suitable shape having a top deck or platform 11 on which are mounted the loop-forming implements. These may comprise a turntable 21 having verticallymovable pegs or fingers 36 mounted .on oscillatable radial shafts extending through the skirt of the turntable.

The turntable 21 andnits fingers 36 are operated by motor driven mechanism under the top deck 11 by means as described in my prior Patent 2,528,820 to which reference may be had for details. The mechanism is started by a push button 78 and may be st-oppedat any time by a push button 94 in case of need. An adjustment lever62 extends from the housing 10 and enablesvariation in the I 2,775,377 Patented Dec. 25, 1 956 number of loops in the bow or pompon. An auxiliary wire ring 79 on a bent rod standard 81 mounted on the platform facilitates the tying of the bow after its loops have been formed.

According to this invention, ribbon is fed from a reel 40 to loop forming implements through a pair of parallel vertical closely-spaced ribbon-guide pins 14 and 16. These pins project up from and are rigidly mounted on a small annular disc or platform 17 on a vertical supporting post 18 which in turn is mounted rigidly on the machine deck 11.

In order to support the reel 40 revolvably, a vertical spindle 24 is rigidly mounted on top of the deck 11 at a location further from the forming implements than the guide pins 14 and 16, as will be hereinafter more particularly described. l

The upper end of the reel spindle 24 is reduced in diameter and has a sleeve 25 revolvably mounted thereon. To support the reel, an annular radially extending platform or reel-supporting flange 26 is rigidly mounted on the sleeve part way up the sleeve. The central part of the reel rests thereon.

The plane of the top surface of the reel-spindle flange 26 is below the plane of the top surface of the fingerguide-post flange 17 to accommodate the novel reel structure hereinafter described.

To hold the reel on the spindle, a pair of diametrically opposite radial short pins 28 extend from the top portion of the sleeve 25, a distance above the flange 26 approximately the same as the thickness of the bottom flange 44 of the reel 40 around the central hole therein where a ferrule 45 is connected thereto, as hereinafter described.

The reel comprises upper and lower circular flanges 42 and 44 which may be of cardboard and connected by a cylindrical cardboard hub or tube 43 by means of identical upper and lower annular ferrules 45 and 45'. The ferrules may be stamped from thin sheet metal and formed with a reversely bent exterior lip 46 which is folded around the peripheries of a central hole in the top and bottom flanges 42 and 44. The ferrules have a cylindrical wall or connecting collar portion 48 paralleling the spindle sleeve 25 and connected to the exterior lip portion by .a radially extending disc portion 47. Thus, the collar portion 48 is spaced from the spindle sleeve 25 a short distance and extends a short distance into the hub.

In order to secure the flanges on the hub, the edge of the collar portion 48 is reversely bent outwardly nearly 180 forming a lip 49 having a sharp edge. The diameter of the periphery of this l-ip is slightly greater than the internal diameter of the hub and is inserted into the hub.

Hence, after the ferrules are forced into the hub in at tach-ing the flanges to the hub, the lips bite into the hub when any attempt is made to pull the ferrule and flange away from or off of the hub.

Lower ferrule 45' is pressed into tube 43 the correct distance so that the central portion of flange 44 is slightly concave which, due to the inherent spring efiect of the material of which that flange is made, prov-ides a positive clamping action between supporting flange 26 and locking pins 28. (See Fig. 2 for visual explanation.) This positive clam-ping action at the center of flange 44 provides center of the reel. By that constrnction,'lateral pressure is applied to the edges of the ribbon that is wound upon the reel which tends to keep the ribbon wound up, particularly when the reel is full; and other important advantages are also accomplished as will hereinafter be described. Due to the offsetting of the peripheral or outermost annular section 53 from the plane of the innermost annular section 50 of the lower flange, the edge or periphery of the lower flange will clear the guidepin-supporting flange 17 on the guide-pin-supporting post 18 even though the plane of the flange on the reel supporting sleeve is lower than the plane of the top of the flange 17. It is desirable of course that the plane of the tops of these two flanges be somewhere near the same level because of the tendency of the ribbon to drop down when it is not being wound into a bow but is merely being supported between the guide pins, as will be the case when the machine is being set up for the winding of a new bow.

Preferably, flange 17 is placed beneath annular step 53 with just suflicient clearance for a true-running reel. The reel has considerable flexibility when turning on its central axis, especially with ribbon of lacy material. Likewise, a reel of this soft ribbon may be deformed by unduly rough handling, so that the lead of ribbon from the reel is not pulled squarely into the machine turntable. As a result, it may be impinged by turntable fingers 36 which in their horizontal position should pass freely beneath the incoming ribbon lead. Due to the flexible construction of the reel, after one or more revolutions it is restored to a true-running condition by annular section 53 momentarily rubbing on the upper surface of flange 17. Still another advantage of the truingup effect of flange 17 at the extreme outside edge of the reel, is that it enables the hereinafter described ball and plunger which are located closer to the center to provide smoother braking.

As the machine operates in the winding of a bow, the reel rotates. When the reel is full of ribbon, it is relatively heavy and, when rotating, has considerable momentum. There is unfortunately a tendency of the reel to override and hence, for the ribbon to bunch up or bend between the reel and the forming implements despite the presence of the guide pins 14 and 16. In order to overcome this tendency to override, a braking means is provided acting upon the reel. This braking means is supported from a cylindrical pin or post 70 which is secured to the deck 11 by a screw bolt 71 passing through the deck into a tapped bore in the bottom end of the post.

A cylindrical plunger 73 slides in an axial bore in the top of the post 70 and is pressed upwardly by a coiled compression spring 75 which rests on the end of bolt 71 and presses against the bottom of the plunger. To limit the upward or outward movement of the plunger, an enlarged head 73' is formed on its bottom end and the bore for the plunger is enlarged to accommodate the head.

The upper end of the plunger extends from the post 70 and carries a ball retaining cylindrical cap 74 which has an axial bore narrowed at its top within which is seated a spring pressed ball 76. A spring 72 presses the ball upwardly so that the upper portion thereof extends beyond the cap, the lower end of the spring being seated on the top of the plunger 73 within the cap 74. A diametrical pin or set screw 77 in the cap engages the plunger and holds the cap, ball and spring on the plunger.

The urge of spring 75 causes the cap 74 always to contact the bottom surface of the bottom reel flange 44. By reason of this pressure on the bottom reel flange and the concentric steps embossed in that flange, the reel successively deflects upwardly each time the ribbon diameter decreases past one step. The spring 75 is proportioned to give progressively decreased pressure of the cap 74 against the lower reel flange as it deflects upwardly. Thus the concentric steps formed on the reel not only augment rigidity of a full reel but also mechanically provide progressively reduced braking and minimize irregularities due to normal variations in functional coefficient and deflection.

I have found that the braking action of the ball upon the reel is improved by the provision in the bottom surface of the reel of a series of recesses or circular apertures 41 spaced approximately 20 apart. However, the spacing of the apertures may be at a greater or lesser dis tance within the scope of the invention. The apertures are located in the circumference of a circle whose diameter is equal to the distance from the axis of the reel spindle post 24 and the axis of the ball post 70. Thus, the ball is adapted to seat in one or another of the apertures as the reel. rotates. The reel thus rotates with a step-by-step motion. This not only prevents the overrunning of the reel but also brings the reel to a definite stopping point after a bow or pompon has been completely wound. It also tends. to hold thercel in fixed position when the machine is being set up for the winding of the next bow or pompon.

Due to the nature and functioning of the winding mechanism, the reel speed accelerates from 0 to maximum and then rapidly decelerates to 0 every half revolution of the turntable. The step-by-step motion occurs during deceleration. An important advantage of using the ball 76 in addition to the friction of cap '74 is that the overall braking effect is less dependent upon frictional coeflicient of the flange. Hence, the total spring pressure can be reduced to avoid abrasion. The plunger spring is stronger than the ball spring 72 so that cap 74 rides squarely against flange 44 when the reel is full of ribbon. As the diameter decreases and the flange deflects upward, the ball does not seat so deeply in holes 41 thereby reducing the escapement eflfect of the ball.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that my new form of reel when used in connection with the above described machine, provides means for preventing the overrunning of the reel as the machine is operated. Also, the reel provides tension upon and means to hold the ribbon between the flanges most etfectively at the time that the reel is fullest, which is when such holding effect is most needed.

As the reel unwinds and the amount of ribbon thereon decreases, the periphery of the lower flange will tend to move toward the upper flange and the frictional engagement of the flange with the edge of the ribbon will lessen. This tends to reduce the pressure of the lower flange upon the ball 76. That action is desirable because as the ribbon is used up from the reel, the weight of the reel plus the ribbon thereon are constantly decreasing and the tendency of the reel to rotate and overrun decreases. The formation of the bottom flange according to the description above thus has a salutary effect from a number of points of view.

Many modifications within the scope of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the exact form and detail as illustrated and described.

What is claimed is:

1. In a pompon and bow-forming machine, mechanism for forming a plurality of radiating loops, means for feeding ribbon to said mechanism comprising a reel spindle mounted on the machine and having revolvable reel-supporting means thereon, a ribbon guide through which said ribbon passes from the reel to said mechanism, a ribbon-carrying reel supported on the reel-supporting means, means to hold said reel on said reel-supporting means, and means to retard the rotation of said reel as ribbon is drawn from the reel and to oppose overrunning comprising a spring pressed element engaging the surface of the reel to frictionally retard rotation of the reel.

2. The combination of a reel and a machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the reel has a flange with a plurality of recesses formed therein located to be successively engaged by said spring pressed element.

3. In a pompon and bow-forming machine, mechanism for forming a plurality of radiating loops, means for feeding ribbon ,to said mechanism comprising a reel spindle mounted on the machine and having reel-supporting means thereon, a ribbon guide through which said ribbon passes from the reel to said mechanism, a ribbon-carrying reel supported revolvably on said spindle, and means to retard the rotation of said reel as ribbon is drawn from the reel and to oppose overrunning comprising a rotatable member supported from the machine in position to engage the surface of the reel and exercising a drag thereon to oppose overnunning by the reel.

4. The combination of a reel and a machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein the reel has a bottom flange with a plurality of recesses formed therein located to be successively engaged by said rotatable member and to maintain said reel in one of a number of predetermined positions when at rest.

5. In a pompon and bow-forming machine, mechanism for forming a plurality of radiating loops, means for feeding ribbon to said mechanism comprising a reel spindle mounted on the machine and having revolvable reel-supporting means thereon, a ribbon guide through which said ribbon passes from the reel to said mechanism, a ribbon-carrying reel supported revolvably on said spindle, means to hold said reel on said reel-supporting means and to maintain the axial position of the reel relative to said spindle, and means to retard the rotation of said reel as ribbon is drawn from the reel and to oppose overrunning comprising an element supported from the machine in position to engage the surface of the reel and exercising a drag to oppose overrunning by the reel, said reel having top and bottom flanges of which at least one is of flexible material, said flange having its periphery move closer to the upper flange as the amount of ribbon on the reel decreases whereby less frictional drag is exerted as the reel becomes exhausted.

6. The combination as claimed in claim 5 wherein said flexible flange has a plurality of recesses in the circumference of a circle concentric with the reel axis, said element of the retarding means being a spring-pressed ball engageable in said recesses maintaining said reel in one of a number of positions when at rest.

7. The combination as claimed in claim 6 having a post mounted on the machine, means carried by said post having a recess for said ball, and a spring carried by said post pressing said last-mentioned means toward said flexible flange and into engagement therewith.

8. The combination as claimed in claim 5 having a post mounted on the machine, means carried by said post engageable with said flexible flange, and spring means carried by the post urging said last-named means toward said flange.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,396,481 Vaughan Nov. 8, 1921 1,665,207 Howell Apr. 10, 1928 2,001,780 Fry May 21, 1935 2,059,765 Adams Nov. 3, 1936 2,285,732 Mark-1e June 9, 1942 2,528,820 Cook NOV. 7, 1950 2,668,024 Campbell Feb. 2, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 708,448 France Apr. 28, 1931 

